Hole of Heroes
}} The Hole of Heroes is a cave in Pikmin 2, found in the Wistful Wild, the game's fourth and last area. It is the longest cave in the game with 15 sublevels, but only 13 treasures, and of a difficulty comparable to the other Wistful Wild caves. The later sublevels are based around repeats of encounters with bosses from earlier in Pikmin 2, including the Empress Bulblax, Beady Long Legs, and Man-at-Legs. The Hole of Heroes is reachable only by the same path used to retrieve the Conifer Spire. The road there involves a Hermit Crawmad, water that needs to be drained, Blowhogs, Shearwigs, and a protective Armored Cannon Beetle Larva. Pass the Conifer Spire's resting place and traveling down the half pipe to reach the cave entrance. Be careful not to fall off the tree stump so you don't have to take the journey all over again. Obviously you will encounter hordes of enemies and all hazards in this cave. It is highly recommended you take 20 Red Pikmin, Yellow Pikmin, and Blue Pikmin, 15 White Pikmin, and 25 Purple Pikmin. This way you can face every obstacle with a good offensive group. The truth is, the threats that this cave holds are very minor, and do not require many resistant pikmin to eliminate them; the cave does have many tough bosses though, so a lot of red pikmin is the way to go. Frustratingly, the Hole of Heroes, like the other two caves in the Wistful Wild, contains bosses that prove to be quite challenging, but have no suit or gameplay upgrade for collecting the final treasure. Treasures *Corpulent Nut *Essence of True Love *Love Sphere *Lustrous Element *Nutrient Silo (NTSC)/Stringent Container (PAL) *Joyless Jewel *Dimensional Slicer (NTSC)/Patience Tester (PAL) *Treasured Gyro Block *Favorite Gyro Block *Lost Gyro Block *Memorable Gyro Block *Fond Gyro Block *Remembered Old Buddy Enemies *Anode Beetle *Anode Dweevil *Antenna Beetle *Armored Cannon Beetle Larva *Beady Long Legs *Bulbmin *Bulborb Larva *Bumbling Snitchbug *Burrowing Snagret *Careening Dirigibug *Caustic Dweevil *Cloaking Burrow-nit *Creeping Chrysanthemum *Decorated Cannon Beetle *Doodlebug *Dwarf Bulbear *Dwarf Orange Bulborb *Dwarf Red Bulborb *Emperor Bulblax *Empress Bulblax *Female Sheargrub *Fiery Blowhog *Fiery Bulblax *Fiery Dweevil *Greater Spotted Jellyfloat *Hairy Bulborb *Hermit Crawmad *Honeywisp *Iridescent Flint Beetle *Iridescent Glint Beetle *Lesser Spotted Jellyfloat *Male Sheargrub *Mamuta *Man-at-Legs *Mitite *Munge Dweevil *Orange Bulborb *Pileated Snagret *Puffy Blowhog *Ranging Bloyster *Red Bulborb *Shearwig *Skitter Leaf *Snow Bulborb *Spotty Bulbear *Unmarked Spectralids *Volatile Dweevil *Water Dumple *Watery Blowhog *Withering Blowhog *Wogpole *Wollywog *Yellow Wollywog *'Boss: Raging Long Legs' Sublevel 1 Whatever hopes of having a gentle first sublevel are ruined here. Creeping Chrysanthemums, Sheargrubs, Shearwigs, Skitterleafs, and Cloaking Burrow-nits are littered across the scenic maze. Purple Pikmin are the best choice, but be weary of the Dwarf Orange Bulborbs that fall from the sky. It's advised that you escort whatever loads your Pikmin are carrying back to the Research Pod. Aside from the Corpulent Nut, the only other items worth grabbing are nectar or sprays, so keep an eye out for eggs. Sublevel 2 Both Bumbling Snitchbugs and Swooping Snitchbugs live down here, along with Anode Beetles, the irritating Careening Dirigibugs, and an Antenna Beetle. There are a lot of bug enemies here. If this isn't enough all together, bomb rocks drop just like the Dwarf Orange Bulborbs in the last sublevel. Take extreme caution and try to get all of the bombs down with a pilot before bringing your troops in. The Essence of True Love is buried; dig it up with White Pikmin. Sublevel 3 Sublevel three is a maze of all species of the Blowhog family. Barriers make this place a pain, especially when there's a Withering Blowhog right on the other side. All of the Blowhogs can attack through the barriers, so be careful with the two earthbound types and do your best to keep the Withering Blowhogs from blowing away your Pikmin's flowers. You'll probably need flowered Pikmin for the next sublevel. Volatile Dweevils still appear in this level, so be very careful. Try scouting across all the available terrain alone before moving on, but travel with your group with carrying the Love Sphere and the corpses just in case. One mistake could be all it takes to ruin your chances of success. If you're lucky, a Dweevil may appear next to a Blowhog and do damage for you, making your job a little easier. Sublevel 4 Here is where you want flower Pikmin. It's the first boss return of the cave. There are two Snagrets, one Pileated Snagret and one Burrowing Snagret, and there's a sandy sinkhole in the middle of the arena that causes a huge issue when you find yourself retreating from the feathered snagret. Note that you do not have to kill both beasts. Only one of them will hold the treasure. Find whatever one makes your gauge scream and fight for the Lustrous Element, but be careful not to walk into both monsters. Locate them both if you must. Sublevel 5 A treasureless rest level. There aren't any creatures here that can kill, and all four of them could even contribute to your squad. Mamutas pound your Pikmin into the ground, but give them flowers. [Honeywisps] and Unmarked Spectralids provide nectar or, if you're lucky, a potion. Iridescent Glint Beetles have the same random results, nectar, potions, or a pellet. If you have taken severe damage and feel you need to return to the surface, there's a geyser waiting for you here. There's also a Queen Candypop Bud and plenty of nectar just in case there's a couple of leaf or bud Pikmin among your deflowered soldiers. Sublevel 6 If your blue Pikmin are low on numbers, the are some Candypop Buds here in your favor. You are going to need them if you want a safe journey across this place. Interestingly, this level's layout is only seen twice, and the music is unique for the Hole of Heroes. Anyway, find a safe place for your non-aquatic troops. That may involve some fighting for the territory. If not, great! The enemies here prove to be chores, aside from the Wogpoles, but the other creatures can be problematic if you're retreating or in a situation where you need all the room you can get without having to call off more soldiers. If you need to, Water Dumples don't take too long to kill with a pilot. After gathering the Nutrient Silo as your treasure, get rid of the seal over the cave and jump in for your next boss fight. Sublevel 7 This arena is roomy, and you'll find a Ranging Bloyster just waiting to feed. Get your Pikmin safe behind the hole or in a dead end, and defeat the Decorated Cannon Beetles with their own boulders. Then you can move to the big blob. Split into two teams, surround the beast, and alternate between captains to get a good shot at the bulb on the monster's back. Soon enough, you'll get the Joyless Jewel as the prize. Sublevel 8 Yet another Rest Level. You're more than halfway through, but you get another chance to go back to the surface here, along with Crimson Candypop Buds and a Queen Candypop Bud. If you've lost Pikmin, you can use that and the Bulbmin wandering down here. Be careful, aside from the Bulbmin, three Doodlebugs may appear to endanger your soldiers. Lastly, there's a good chance to get nectar and sprays here. Don't worry, there's no treasure here. Sublevel 9 Dwarf Red , Snow , Orange Bulborbs, a Red bulborb, Hairy, and Dwarf Orange Bulborbs, a Spotty Bulbear with it's followers, and a Fiery Bulblax; in fact, every breed of Bulborb in the entire game appears here. The Fiery Bulblax has the Dimensional Slicer, but since the rest of the bulborbs are in close proximity, it is highly likely that you will have to kill every enemy here. A suggestion would be to knock down the gate leading to the main arena, run out with no Pikmin, and hide behind a wall to attract the Spotty Bulbear's attention. While that is happening, you can switch leaders and kill the rest of the bulborbs, then leave, or if the Bulbear is in an awkward position, use a spray (highly recommended, since juvenile Bulbears will be following) then leave. Remember to use red pikmin for the Fiery Bulblax. Sublevel 10 Relive another boss battle as the montage of the bulborb family continues, this time with the previous game's final boss, the Emperor Bulblax. These two aren't nearly as big, but they're still deadly. If you're going to scout for nectar and sprays before to attack them, it's okay, but be warned that Mitites may show up. Just like with the two Snagrets, only one of these bulblaxes holds the Treasured Gyro Block. Purples still prove to be the favorite choice. Sublevel 11 The bulborb montage reaches a climax as an Empress Bulblax is the last in the family to defeat. You start at its rear, where the Bulborb Larva come out. The Bulborb Larva will be instant trouble. Keep your Pikmin away from them. They can eat your Pikmin lightning fast. Get rid of them all before meeting the Empress and going after the treasure she somehow swallowed. You are able to petrify her, but you must spray her from the sides; attempting to spray her behind or face will not work. Attack with Purples if you can. If not, Red Pikmin may do just as well, but any Pikmin can do the job. Be careful when dealing with the beast and make sure you know what you're going to do about the offspring when they arrive, if they have time to. By the way, take cover when she starts to roll from side to side. The ceiling conveniently comes down very close to where you stand. A safe place is behind the hole, so find time to break down the gate. At the end of the fight, feel free to search for any nectar or sprays that were dropped by the larva. If you're having trouble trying to get to the Empress Bulblax's head, have one captain move a little when there's no Bulborb Larvae and the other punch each baby. Once you defeat her grab the Favorite Gyro Block. This is also a good place to add the Common Glowcap to your piklopedia, if you haven't already. Sublevel 12 You had the last geyser exit four sublevels ago, and here's your last exit before moving onward to the last three sublevels of the cave. You should use Bulbmin, if you have any, to sprout White Pikmin or throw into the Queen Candypop Bud. Otherwise, you'll lose the Bulbmin as you leave the cave. Change them into Pikmin and you can take them home with you. Be careful with the Doodlebug somewhere here, but feel free to attack the other two Iridescent Glint Beetle and Iridescent Flint Beetle. The Iridescent Glint Beetle has the Lost Gyro Block, so keep searching until you catch it. The last three sublevels of this cave is the Arachnorb family, starting with the Man-at-Legs. Sublevel 13 The Hole of Heroes, geniously named, holds a few final surprises for you, as the creatures you're going to face from now on go from organic to metallic, and the Man-at-Legs here is the bridge between the two. The spider awaits in the middle of a moat of water, so take all the blue Pikmin with you, assuming they survived Sublevel Six. Best of luck in this fight, and take shelter behind the metal walls and bumps littered around here. Collect the Memorable Gyro Block, which by now you have probably realized has three counterparts that look just like it, aside from color, all of which appearing in the last three sublevels. Sublevel 14 Sublevel 14 is the second to last level in this extensive cave, and the creatures here are obviously trying to hint at something. But regardless, deal with all of the Dweevils here before tackling the Beady Long Legs, who's the original inspiration for the boss you just battled, and the one you're about to. It doesn't matter which type of Pikmin you use against it, but be weary of the water that lies around here. Yellow Pikmin are recommended for best results because they can be thrown high. Throwing Purple Pikmin at it's feet is also affective. When, and if you finally win, gather the Fond Gyro Block before moving onto the final battle the Hole of Heroes has to offer! Sublevel 15 The final sublevel should be explored with caution. It is advised to take care of all the Jellyfloats before confronting the boss; a Raging Long Legs. Just stay away from the center, and give the jellyfloats time to float over to you. A good strategy for the boss is to use a smaller group of Pikmin, so you can avoid the Long Legs's stomping legs. It may be intimidating, but it's also a big target. Always attack the head when it roars the second time, because you can have more time to attack it. The Raging Long Legs has a '''lot '''of health, and even with 20 purple pikmin it will survive at least one round of attacking. However, if you attack it with about 40 purples affected by an ultra spicy spray, then it can die in one cycle. The most important thing is to avoid its giant feet, as this will cause many pikmin to die and could deal quite a bit of damage to Olimar if he gets caught in a cycle. Unlike with some giant mechanical beasts threatening everything around it, the safest place to be is not beneath it, but at least here the threat of being crushed isn't too bad, especially after you figure out what order the giant legs operate in. Use a small group of purples, or a bigger one at your own risk. Your prize is Remembered Old Buddy, or R.O.B.'s head, to take as a souvenir.